Uzbekistan tennis player Denis Istomin shocked the world after he defeated 6-times Australian Open winner, and a favourite to win the tournament this year, Novak Djokovic, in a five-set thriller.
Also read: Tennis World Schedule 2017
Istomin, who was a wild card entry into the Australian Open, defeated Croatian Ivan Dodig in his first round match and is set to take on Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round after his second round triumph against Djokovic.
Istomin won the first set 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 10-8 and then Djokovic came back strong winning the next two sets, 7-5 and 6-2, and it looked like it was going to another Djokovic win, but Istomin had other ideas. He came back even stronger in the 4th set winning it 7-6 and he looked the much better player in the final set winning it 6-4.
The only singles title he has ever won was back in 2015 when he won the Nottingham Open. Denis has been around the sport for quite some time now, but has never really won any big tournament.
Here are some facts you may not know about the 30-year-old Uzbekistan tennis player.
- Despite representing Uzbekistan while playing tennis, Denis Istomin was actually born in Orenburg, Russia. His father moved his family to the city of Tashkent, when Denis was 3- months-old.
- He barely played any junior tennis because in 2001 he was involved in a terrible car accident, injuring his legs and his hands, with the doctors saying he would never be able to hold a racket again. He spent three months in a hospital, required 30 stitches and was completely out of the sport for 2 years. He made his return in April 2003 skipping the juniors and went straight to Futures Circuit.
- The Uzbekistan Tennis Federation in 2010 awarded him a refrigerator for his performance against Rafael Nadal in the US Open particularly because of a flashy, sliding, skidmark-producing shot. The refrigerator had an inscription on it that translated to "Best Shot."
- He is also quite the brainiac. He graduated from the University of Physical Culture and Sports in Uzbekistan with a degree in physical culture in 2011.
- His mom Klaudiya Istomina has been his rock throughout his life. She is the one that got him into the sport at a very young age and she travels with and coaches Denis.
- He is a Real Madrid fan and loves to play pool in his spare time.
- He's got a really good sense of humour. He showed his sense of humour when he lost the San Jose finals to Milos Raonic. After the match Raonic told the crowd that he might have to buy a house in San Jose, and Istomin responded, saying he might have to buy a house too just a smaller one than Milo's. Even in his win against Djokovic today, he started off his interview by saying he feels really sorry for Djokovic because he was really good against him.
- This is just the second time he is reaching the third round of the Australian Open with his best performance in a Grand Slam being reaching the fourth round of the US Open in 2013 and the Wimbledon in 2012.
